NOTABLE: Auburn won its first conference game at LSU on Wednesday night, 84-80 … Reed is averaging 19 points during the Tigers' last six games … Auburn coach Jeff Lebo played one season (1988-89) at North Carolina with Vanderbilt assistant King Rice … The Commodores have won eight consecutive games.

1.22.2010

Cecil Newton, father of Cam, speaks about Auburn

Hey everyone. I'm working on a story about Cam Newton, Auburn's five-star quarterback signee, and that led me to talk with his father today.

That was fun.

Cecil Newton spoke freely and directly for 25 minutes about everything I asked. He isn't shy.

Here are some highlights:

On how they chose Auburn: ``We both decided what to do a few days before we went to Gene Chizik, but Cam was apprehensive. He was leaning toward Starkville. He had that relationship with Dan Mullen and there was a comfort level there. I didn't think that was the right place for Cam. They just don't have all the moving parts. Cam was going to have to be the star. He'd have to do everything himself. I didn't want him to be a rented mule. Auburn has far more varsity players returning, they have more skill players, they're attracting more highly recruited players and it's right down the street."

On if MSU was the early leader: ``Absolutely they were. Auburn came on strong at the end. A lot of people pre-supposed that (Cam) would hook up with Dan Mullen. He made an official visit around Thanksgiving and that went really well. I just wasn't sure about it. I like Dan Mullen and I think he has a very bright offensive mind. He's just having to go against the odds in Starkville. I just didn't want Cam to be blinded by an affiliation. It was important for us to study Auburn, to study Malzahn and Chizik. Auburn has bright minds, too."

On how Auburn's recruiting has picked up since Newton's commitment: ``It's greatly encouraging. You can see the momentum snowballing. They've gotten several big commitments and they'll probably get more with the shake-ups we've seen at Tennessee and Florida. Auburn is making a big move."

On Cam's arrest at Florida and subsequent fallout: ``I believe the media provided a thuggish portrayal of my son -- and that angered me. He went through a pre-trial program, the charges were dropped. One person who didn't disappoint me was Urban Meyer. He's been a professional the whole way. He helped us, talked with us, cared about Cam on a personal level."

1.20.2010

Playing the Star game

Hey everyone. So Rivals.com is in the midst of making its final re-assessments prior to National Signing Day and Auburn has been affected (slightly) by a few of these re-assessments.

OK, so OT Shon Coleman finished his season in November as a four-star prospect. Rivals.com's experts have bumped him to a five-star guy. By all accounts, he played well at the U.S. Army All-American game, so maybe that's why he's "better" now.

Another OT commitment, Ed Christian, today lost one of his stars. He's now a three-star prospect. His season ended in November as well. Christian played in the North/South All-Star game earlier this month. Maybe he was terrible?

Word inside Rivals.com is that LB commitment Jake Holland, he of Pelham fame, has been identified as a "riser" by experts inside the organization and will be bumped from his current perch (three star) to a higher, four-star perch in the coming days.

His season ended in November as well. Maybe he improved dramatically during the Christmas holiday?

EDIT: Rivals.com also is planning to bump DE commit Kenneth Carter to a four-star prospect in the coming days. The organization is making the changes on a position-by-position basis.

Auburn gets Mack-tacular commitment

Hey everyone. Auburn landed another massive commitment today when 315-pound offensive lineman Eric Mack committed to play football at Auburn. We know this because our friends at AuburnUndercover.com, AuburnSports.com and ITAT say so.

Six months ago, the South Carolina native said he'd play for the Gamecocks.

He broke that pledge yesterday.

Now he says he's with the Tigers -- and that's final. Mack, a four-star prospect according to Rivals.com and Scout.com, adds significant allure to coach Gene Chizik's recruiting class. Auburn now has commitments from two major OL recruits (Shon Coleman and Ed Christian) and signed a pair of junior-college guys (Roszell Gayden and Brandon Mosley) last month.

There could be aftershocks from this development. Auburn is working against the Gamecocks for the nation's No. 1 tailback, Marcus Lattimore. He lives in Duncan, S.C. Will Mack's decision affect Lattimore's thinking?

Hawthorne resurfaces

Hey everyone. This isn't exactly huge news, but I find it interesting.

Tim Hawthorne, the former Auburn wideout, has enrolled at North Alabama and plans to play football there for former Auburn coach Terry Bowden next fall.

Hawthorne graduated in December with a degree in public administration. Days before that, he informed Auburn coaches of his desire to leave the football team. The Homewood native still has one season of eligibility remaining, though, and now you know how he'll spend it.

``When we talked, he was pondering that," coach Gene Chizik said. ``That was something that was a possibility for him. He has graduated, so he’s free to basically go wherever he wants to go if he wants to play another year. We wish him the best if that’s what he chooses to do."

1.19.2010

Auburn to USC: All Your Recruit Are Belong To Us

Hey everyone. Auburn has been working against South Carolina for a pair of highly touted recruits ... and one of them just walked away from the Gamecocks.

Our friends on the Interwebs -- namely AuburnSports.com, AuburnUndercover.com and ITAT -- are reporting that offensive tackle Eric Mack has decommitted from South Carolina. He now is considering Auburn and the Florida Gators.

Mack stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 315 pounds.

He's a four-star prospect.

The good news for Auburn? Well, Mack is now officially available. His defection also may persuade the Palmetto State's other uncommitted star, Marcus Lattimore, to disregard the Gamecocks as well.

1.18.2010

Malzahn likes Auburn

Hey everyone. My friend Charles Goldberg, he of immense Internet fame at The Gold Mine, is reporting that Gus Malzahn has told Louisiana Tech intermediaries that he's not interested in that job.

I didn't pay much attention to this after he reportedly was in Ruston, La., last weekend ... while I saw him at the AU-UK basketball game. That generally means he isn't interviewing.

Anyway, here's what Malzahn had to say:

``My family and I love Auburn and being part of the Auburn Family. Coach Chizik is an outstanding coach to work for and Auburn is a great place to be both professionally and personally. I’m excited about the future of this program and helping Auburn build on the foundation that Coach Chizik has established during the last 13 months.”

Recruiting consolidation

Hey everyone. Thanks for making Sunday the biggest traffic day of the new here here at the HABOTN. My Sunday recruiting story earned twice as many hits as Tim Gayle's story about Alabama's "championship celebration," which I found interesting.

1.17.2010

ON THE SCENE: Recruiting

Hey everyone. We're here in Auburn talking with the recruits on their way out of town. I'll just update as the day progresses.

OVERVIEW:

Auburn was hoping the two uncommitted defensive tackles -- Jeffrey Whitaker and Byran Jones -- would commit this weekend. They didn't. Still, Auburn clearly has piqued their interest.

OL Shon Coleman, whose commitment reportedly was wavering, said today that he will sign with Auburn. He also referred to the Tigers as his "future team."

WR Trovon Reed was the only prospect to avoid post-visit interviews. Not sure why he would choose to do that, though I'm not insinuating he's a bad kid for doing so. Just noting a curious decision.

It's clear that Auburn's commitments were here this weekend in an effort to get the uncommitted guys on board. We'll soon see if their efforts were effective.

THE PROSPECTS:

UPDATE @ 1:10 p.m.JUSTIN DELANIE, defensive end from Linden, had a good time this weekend. He is an Auburn commitment. Delanie laughed when asked if he'd consider signing anywhere else. He played at 235 this past season, but he has dropped 10 pounds to play basketball. Delanie said he's planning to play at 250 or 260, so he obviously has some trips to Golden Corral ahead.

UPDATE @ 1:01 p.m.JEREMY RICHARDSON, wideout from Springville, had a good time this weekend. His player host was Onterio McCalebb. Richardson is an Auburn commitment. He didn't have much to say. He's a quiet guy. He did mention that he's hoping the two defensive tackles commit.

UPDATE @ 1 p.m.JEFFREY WHITAKER, defensive tackle from Georgia, had a good time this weekend. His player host was Nosa Eguae. He rated this trip a "10," but it's clear Auburn still has work ahead. He's primarily considering Auburn, Georgia and Miami. Whitaker said he has an idea of where he'll sign, but he's "just making sure" that his preliminary decision is the right one. Impressive kid, very mature, composed and interesting.

UPDATE @ 12:35 p.m.JAKE HOLLAND, linebacker from Birmingham, had a good time this weekend. He is an Auburn commitment. His player host was Jessel Curry. Holland said he spent the weekend recruiting on Auburn's behalf. He also likes the new student housing at The Village.

UPDATE @ 11:14 a.m.SHON COLEMAN, offensive tackle from Olive Branch, Miss., had a good time this weekend. He's been listed as a soft commitment by the recruiting services, so Auburn used this weekend to re-affirm Coleman's feelings. The scheme apparently worked; Coleman said ``I'm going to sign with Auburn." He referred to Auburn as "my future team," but said he still may take more visits. Interested schools include Ole Miss, Tennessee, Southern Cal and Miami. Coleman is a big man, a strong-looking man. He looks like a football player.

UPDATE @ 10:48 a.m.BYRAN JONES, defensive tackle from Arkansas, had a good time this weekend. His player host was Eltoro Freeman. Jones has it narrowed down to Auburn and Arkansas. He will make an official visit in Fayetteville next weekend. Jones said he won't announce his decision until signing day. He said he's good friends with both Michael Dyer and Dakota Mosley, a pair of fellow Arkansas prospects who have committed to Auburn. Jones said he's fine with playing out of state. Not sure what to think about his upcoming decision.

UPDATE @ 10:33 a.m.D.J. HOWARD, athlete from Lincoln (near Anniston), had a good time this weekend. He is an Auburn commitment. Howard considered a trip to Clemson, but apparently that's off. He considers himself a running back and his dalliance with Clemson was rooted in the fact that Clemson wants him as a tailback. Auburn coaches told Howard this week that he will play tailback at Auburn, so he has re-affirmed his commitment.

UPDATE @ 10:22 a.m.JAWARA WHITE, linebacker from Troy, had a good time this weekend. He said he dedicated his time toward recruiting the two uncommitted defensive tackles -- Jeffrey Whitaker and Byran Jones. White said he was 100% sure Jones had a good time. Why? ``Because he was with me." White said he wouldn't discuss how successful his recruiting pitches were. ``That's a surprise."

UPDATE @ 10:10 a.m.TRENT FISHER, athlete from suburban Nashville, had a good time this weekend. He was hosted by Phillip Lutzenkirchen. Fisher said he is a safety by trade and expects to play that in college. He has some I-AA offers, but would play at Auburn as a walk-on. His sister currently attends Auburn. Fisher's father, Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher, made the trip and was in the complex today.

UPDATE @ 10:05 a.m.JONATHAN MINCY, defensive back from suburban Atlanta, had a good time this weekend. He is an Auburn commitment. He referred to Auburn as "we" when asked about the 2009 season. I'd say he's locked in. Mincy said he will not take any additional visits.

UPDATE @ 9:50 a.m.KENNETH CARTER, defensive tackle from Greenville, said he enjoyed the trip. He is an Auburn commitment. He is the team's only DT commitment at this point. Carter said he's ready to get on campus and start playing. He ended his comments with a "War Eagle."

UPDATE @ 9:22 a.m.RYAN WHITE, defensive back from Tallahassee, Fla., was the first guy out. He is an Auburn committment. He said he did a lot of partying during his trip. He spent time at Zac Etheridge's pad last night, had a good time. Said he probably won't make visits to any additional schools. Seems fully committed to me.